The Maryland Center for Missing and Unidentified Persons (MCMUP) is a division within the Maryland State Police. We provide assistance for the recovery of missing children and adults, and helping with the identification of those who remain unidentified. The Maryland Center for Missing and Unidentified Persons (MCMUP) was established by Maryland Family Law (§9-401 through §9-403) in 1985 as the sta
te’s clearinghouse for missing persons information, and is a unit within the Maryland State Police, Technical Investigation Section, which also consists of the Missing Child Recovery Unit, Computer Crimes Unit, and Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Our division was formerly titled the Maryland Center for Missing Children (MCMC), but recently changed our name to more accurately represent our mission. As always, we look forward to serving the public and assisting allied police agencies. We'd like to provide some insight on the information provided and shared on our page, and in the navigation of this page. We read most of the comments, and while we do not have time to respond, our interaction with the public is important because public participation in sharing our post and looking for missing persons is essential to our mission. We are a law enforcement entity, and we are a division within the Maryland State Police. We serve as Maryland’s Missing Persons Clearinghouse, and we are an additional vital tool to our law enforcement affiliates in locating missing persons. We post Maryland missing person cases that are verified as active by law enforcement. Maryland, on average, receives approximately 11,000 to 14,000 missing person cases per year. Maryland is a relatively small state, and per capita, other states experience comparable numbers. An overwhelming percentage of the missing juvenile cases that we encounter have left home voluntarily, classifying them as runaways. Most runaways also return home voluntarily. Sadly, that can never be guaranteed. Runaways are always handled as a missing juvenile. Children that leave home voluntarily may still be in a great deal of danger. It is often unknown if they’re battling addiction, being trafficked, involved in criminal or dangerous behavior, if they’ve met someone online, or if they’re fleeing a dangerous situation in their home life. Likewise, when a missing person returns home, we, as law enforcement, must wait for the original investigating law enforcement agency to advise us that the case is closed. A police officer must lay eyes on the child and perform an exit interview to make sure that the child was not a victim of a crime and that they are not in any further danger having returned home. Because of this, we are unable to close cases based upon social media posts that advise the child has been located. Additionally, many aspects of information regarding these cases and their investigations are private, especially when a juvenile is involved or when dealing with HIPAA laws surrounding cases with addiction, mental illness, or cognitive disorders. Also, if you’re viewing posts from jurisdictions with a seemingly high number of missing persons, it is likely because of population and the fact that those police departments are utilizing every tool, resource, and outlet available to locate their missing person cases. WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IF A LOVED ONE GOES MISSING
-Contact the missing person's friends/relatives/neighbors for possible information of their whereabouts.
-Contact the missing person's school/work for information on attendance.
-Immediately call 911 and file a missing person report with your local law enforcement agency.
-Contact Maryland Center for Missing and Unidentified Persons at 1-800-MDS-KIDS (1-800-637-5437) for further assistance.
-Determine if they took any possessions or had access to money.
-If you suspect a computer, they often use, may possess information about the disappearance, leave the computer untouched and notify the police. Continuing, we will share the criteria for which an Amber Alert and Silver Alert are issued. Only law enforcement agencies can request Amber Alerts and Silver Alerts. Law enforcement agencies making such requests must first determine that the following criteria exist:
MARYLAND'S AMBER ALERT PROGRAM
What is the AMBER Alert Plan? The AMBER Alert Plan is a voluntary partnership between law enforcement agencies and broadcasters to activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child abduction cases. Broadcasters use the Emergency Alert System (EAS), formerly called the Emergency Broadcast System, to air a description of the abducted child and suspected abductor. This is the same concept used during severe weather emergencies. The goal of the AMBER Alert is to instantly galvanize the entire community to assist in the search for and safe return of the child. Why Was the AMBER Plan Created? The AMBER Alert Plan was created in 1997 as a powerful legacy to 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, a bright little girl who was kidnapped and brutally murdered while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas. The tragedy shocked and outraged the entire community. Residents contacted radio stations in the Dallas area and suggested they broadcast special "alerts" over the airwaves so that they could help prevent such incidents in the future. In response to the community's concern for the safety of local children, the Dallas/Fort Worth Association of Radio Managers teamed up with local law enforcement agencies in northern Texas and developed this innovative early warning system to help find abducted children. Statistics show that time is the enemy in child abductions. How Does the AMBER Alert Plan Work? Once law enforcement has been notified about an abducted child, they must first determine if the case meets the AMBER Alert Plan's criteria for triggering an alert. Maryland AMBER Plan Criteria
The following criteria are utilized to determine if an Amber Alert should be issued for the State of Maryland:
1. Law enforcement confirms a child has been abducted.
2. The child is under the age of 18.
3. Law enforcement believes the circumstances surrounding the abduction indicate that the child is in danger of serious bodily harm or death.
4. There is enough descriptive information about the child, abductor, and/or suspect's vehicle to believe an immediate broadcast alert will help.
5. The child is believed to still be in the broadcast area.
6. The child's name and other critical elements have been entered into NCIC by police. ONLY A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY CAN REQUEST AN ACTIVATION OF THE AMBER ALERT SYSTEM THROUGH THE MARYLAND STATE POLICE. How the Amber Plan Works
The local law enforcement agency verifies that a child has been abducted and is in danger of serious bodily harm. The reporting law enforcement agency contacts the Maryland State Police Headquarters Duty Officer (410) 486-3101 and requests an AMBER Alert Activation. A Maryland State Police Child Recovery Unit calls the requesting agency and obtains the necessary information. The AMBER Alert information is sent via the Emergency Alert System to broadcasters, the State Highway Administration and Maryland Law Enforcement Agencies. The broadcasters, the State Highway Administration and various other private and public entities broadcast the information to the general public. The State Highway Administration will immediately post AMBER Alerts utilizing variable message signs. The signs typically used to disseminate traffic information to drivers, now alert the public of abducted children, displaying pertinent information about the child, abductor or suspected vehicle that drivers might look for on highways. When an AMBER Alert is issued the general public is asked to check their surroundings and if the vehicle, abductor and/or child is seen, to contact the telephone number given in the alert or your local law enforcement agency with the sighting information. This would be an appropriate time to use the 911 emergency number. IF YOU BELIEVE YOUR CHILD IS MISSING:
Act immediately
If your child is missing from home - thoroughly search the house. If you cannot find the child - immediately call 911. Provide the operator with your child's name, date of birth, height, weight, and any other unique identifiers. If your child disappears in a store - notify the store manager or security office then immediately call 911. Request that your child's name and identifying information be immediately entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Missing Person File. After you have reported your child missing to law enforcement, call the Maryland Center for Missing Children (MCMC) 800-MDS-KIDS for assistance. TIPS TO KEEP YOUR CHILD SAFE
Teach your child to be aware and informed:
Children should know their full name, address, and phone number. Teach your child to call for help, dial 911, and make long distance calls. Always know where your child is and the routes your child takes to and from school. As a parent you should know your child's friends, their addresses and phone numbers. MARYLAND'S SILVER ALERT PROGRAM
On October 1, 2009, the Silver Alert Program for the State of Maryland was created. The intent of the program is to alert public safety agencies and the general public in instances of an adult, suffering cognitive impairments, who has been reported missing. Maryland Department of State Police (MDSP) understands there is a growing elderly population in Maryland and across the United States as a reason to support new programs to locate missing seniors. Approximately six in ten dementia sufferers will wander off at least once.[1] If not found within 24 hours, up to half of wandering seniors with dementia suffer serious injury or death.[2]
In February 2024 MDSP created a multi-tier designation for reporting alerts involving missing persons suffering cognitive impairment regardless of age. The updated Alert will help put out information on the missing person in an expeditious manner, aiding in the locating and safe return of the individual. The first tier involves missing persons where traveling in a vehicle is most likely. The second tier involves missing persons where traveling by foot and not by vehicle is most likely. Only law enforcement agencies may request the issuance of a Silver Alert. Law enforcement agencies making such requests must first determine that the following criteria exist:
Silver Alert
The missing person is traveling in a vehicle and there is enough descriptive information about the missing person and the vehicle for law enforcement to issue an alert, AND
The missing person suffers a cognitive impairment, including a diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease or Dementia, AND
The missing person's disappearance poses a credible threat to the health and safety of the individual, AND
The investigating agency has already activated a local or regional alert by contacting media outlets in their jurisdiction, AND
The missing person has been entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC)
Silver Alert Non-Vehicle
The missing person is not likely traveling in a vehicle and there is enough descriptive information about the missing person for law enforcement to issue an alert, AND
The missing person suffers a cognitive impairment, including a diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease or Dementia, AND
The missing person's disappearance poses an immediate and credible threat to the health and safety of the individual, AND
The investigating agency has already activated a local or regional alert by contacting allied agencies and media outlets within, and immediately surrounding, their jurisdiction, AND
The missing person has been entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC)
Maryland law enforcement remains dedicated to locating all missing individuals. Silver Alert Program. (a) Definitions. (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. (2) "Caregiver" means a parent, spouse, guardian, legal custodian, or person responsible for the supervision of another adult. (3) "Law enforcement agency" means a State, county, or municipal police department or agency, or a sheriff's department. (4) "Missing person" means an individual:
(i) whose whereabouts are unknown;
(ii) who suffers a cognitive impairment including a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or dementia to the extent that the individual requires assistance from a caregiver; and
(iii) whose disappearance poses a credible threat to the health and safety of the individual due to age, health, mental or physical disability, environment, or weather conditions, as determined by a law enforcement agency. (b) Established. (1) The Department of State Police shall establish a Silver Alert Program to provide a system for rapid dissemination of information to assist in locating a missing person. (2) The Department of State Police shall:
(i) adopt guidelines and develop procedures for issuing a Silver Alert for a missing person;
(ii) provide training to local law enforcement agencies on the guidelines and procedures to be used to handle a report of a missing person;
(iii) provide assistance to a local law enforcement agency, as necessary, to assist in the safe recovery of a missing person;
(iv) recruit public and commercial television and radio broadcasters, local volunteer groups, and other members of the public to assist in developing and implementing a Silver Alert;
(v) consult with the State Highway Administration to establish a plan for providing information relevant to a Silver Alert to the public through the dynamic message sign system located across the State; and
(vi) consult with the State Department of Education to develop a program that:
1. allows high school students to assist in the search for a missing person under this section;
2. complies with COMAR 13A.03.02.06; and
3. is consistent with the student service-learning guidelines developed by the State Department of Education. (c) Notice to local law enforcement agency - A caregiver or person filing a report regarding a missing person immediately shall notify the local law enforcement agency with which the report was filed and the Department of State Police if:
(1) the missing person who was the subject of the report is located; and
(2) it is unlikely that the local law enforcement agency or the Department of State Police has knowledge that the missing person has been located. In closing, we would like to thank everyone for following our page, and especially for sharing
our posts. 1 in 3 missing children are located because someone saw their poster or photograph. Public awareness and participation are vital for child safety awareness and in our mission to locate Maryland’s missing.
